What Happens in the Lifestream
by xoVanilla-Bean
Summary: ...stays in the Lifestream. At least, until you get there. — ZackTifa


**What happens in the Lifestream** _stays in the Lifestream._

Iridescent glows filled up Tifa's vision as she blinked open her eyes. She felt tingly sensations crawling up her back to underneath her shoulder blades, and she shifted to a seated position as she tried to get her bearings.

She looked around, hearing a slight dripping sound in the distance that was faint enough not to be annoying, but harmonic instead. She found that most of the glowing was coming from the brilliant trees that reminded her of the Forgotten City. They were almost like sturdy snow, glittering proudly in the sheath of cloudy darkness.

She pushed herself up from the ground, which felt like the love child of dirt and cotton swabs, and tried to steady her footing. There was something off about her stance, and she couldn't get the hang of standing straight.

A small puddle of water was off to the side, and she realized it was making the drip-drip noise. She hobbled over slowly, kneeling down as she reached it. She let her hands break through the surface and cupped them, glancing at the cool water until splashing it in her face.

The last thing she could remember was…

She rubbed at her face and took in her reflection. She noticed two trees towering over her from each shoulder.

…two lights?

She gasped, both trees twitching simultaneously. She leaned closer to her reflection, watching them almost flutter. She turned her head around and heard the air ruffle. She came face to face with ivory, almost illusionary feathers. She shrieked, promptly falling backwards, and realized she should probably brace herself for the shocking cold of the pond.

But instead, she was floating, higher and higher. She felt weightless and dizzy, feeling the wind scald her ears and mingling with her frightened screams of, "AHH!"

She felt something grip her hips and screamed louder.

"Whoa, whoa! Don't scream so much. You'll wear yourself out too fast."

Tifa was caught off guard by a masculine voice, halting her screams. She shuddered out her breaths but found that she couldn't feel a thrumming by her throat. Her face didn't even feel hot or flustered underneath her cheeks. What was _wrong _with her?

The grip tightened momentarily as her feet kissed the ground again. Then it wore away.

"Man, I don't see anyone do that until a few months. You must be someone special."

She twisted her feet quickly to survey her savior, but her legs were shaky. Her upper body pitched forward, her hands landing on a defined chest as her mouth let out an, "Ohf!"

Gloved hands captured her wrists. "Take it easy. If you keep doing things like this, you'll…"

He slowed to a halt when she finally lifted her head. Recognition rose to his face as his jaw went slack and his lips parted. "Ohh.. that's why he didn't tell me…," he muttered, more to himself than to her.

She furrowed her brows, more confused than she was when she woke up. All of a sudden, she needed answers like never before. She leaned back, checking her footing saying, "Sorry."

But first…his face seemed way too familiar to be legal.

"You seem…who…," she stumbled with her voice, not being able to ask outright. For some reason, she felt it was wrong for her not to know him.

He shook his head, putting a mock frown on. "I can't believe you've forgotten me." Then he grinned outright and held out his hand.

"Zack. Zack Fair. Pleased to meet your second acquaintance, Tifa."

She reached out took his hand as she felt her eyes grow wide. "Oh."

He raised an eyebrow. "Well, at least I wasn't _completely_ forgotten."

-

"So you were sent to bring me…there?" Tifa asked dubiously, looking far in the distance at the paralleled Forgotten City that should have been called the Very Much Remembered City.

"Yup."

"And…why was I floating again, earlier?" Tifa just couldn't grasp anything as of late.

Zack looked over at her, stretching his arms above his head and popping his neck. "Because, my dear Tifa. You have wings." He pointed at her back like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Wings," Tifa repeated.

"_Wings_," Zack emphasized, smiling. "And let me say, that was the first time I've ever seen a newcomer do it so...fast."

"…Thanks," Tifa said, almost sarcastic. She looked at the ground, noticing a vague shadow jutting from her back. Maybe he was telling her the truth.

She looked back at him, a new question sprouting. "Why don't you have any wings?"

He grinned. "I thought you'd never ask." But before anything happened, be blinked and said, "But before I do anything, let me warn you." He walked forward, leaning down with an awful ease to her ear like he was telling her a pinky promise-sworn secret.

"It's…really…_really_…" he was closer, coming closer, and the proximity between them made Tifa's lungs encompass the entirety of her abdominal cavity.

"…_awesome_." He pulled back before Tifa could react—which would have been with an eye-roll—and tensed his shoulders.

There was a ripping noise, and then snow was falling from the trees.

Except, that it wasn't snow. It was feathers.

Zack Fair, standing there with wings that could reach Atlantis and back, was beautiful. His wings were speckled, white and black, blaring her irises with something more than glory. They framed his body, matching his hair with a sharp, feather down appeal. Smooth, silky, and plush all at once. She found herself walking forward.

"Oh my—," Tifa reached out.

"_Don't_," he cut her off, holding up a hand, "say 'God'." Then he was smirking, triumphant. "Even though, I know it's a sin to look this good."

Tifa, awed and dumbstruck, wasn't paying attention to him. Instead, she found the feather she wanted to touch.

She nicked a finger against it, but he twitched away, shoulders tensing again. "Hey…," she said. "Can't I touch them?"

"Ah…," Zack looked somewhat uncomfortable. "We, uh…wing touching isn't allowed here." Then he jerked into the air and winced painfully. "Ow!"

Tifa frowned, in disappointment and at what looked like him having a minor seizure. "What happened?"

He blinked with a certain haziness, and slurred, "Nothing. I just stepped on something." Then he was jerking again, gritting his teeth.

"Ah, damn." That was swiftly accompanied by, "AH. SHIT!" Which was then accompanied by, "Okay, I GET IT!"

Tifa looked down in horror to see his body slump to the ground, face down and twitching with involuntary spasms. "Zack!"

She kneeled down by him, helping him roll over. His eyes had a filmy layer over them as he was looking into her face, a dorkus maximus grin set in place.

"Zack!" Tifa repeated, slapping his face. "Are you okay? What just happened? Is this normal? I don't—,"

"Am I…" he started, and she shut up.

"What?" she leaned down closer to hear him.

"Am I…in heaven? Because girl, you must be an _angel_," he let his slurred words flow, and he lifted up his lips into what should have been a smirk. It looked like a poor imitation of the Joker.

She sighed and face palmed. She stood up with purpose, fixed her eyes on the ground, and found what she was looking for.

-

He kept trying to dry his face off. "Gah. I flatter you and all I get is water to the face." He looked down at her, "I guess I've lost my touch."

She looked back and smiled imperceptibly, but then quirked an eyebrow. "So all that happened because you lied?"

He sighed, letting his hand brush through the hair at the back of his head. Something invisible kicked her stomach with the familiarity of the gesture. She looked away, shook her head.

He muttered something, looking downward.

"I'm sorry?" Her back leaned forward, and she tilted her head to where she could get a glimpse of his face.

"My wings are...sensitive." He had a small sneer on his face, looking very much chagrined.

Tifa didn't get it. "And that's a bad thing?"

He rubbed his face with his hands, irritated. "For a guy, mine shouldn't be like that. But they are." He stood up, acting fascinated with a tree. "He said it was because my heart was too big," he scoffed. "What_ever_."

She could feel her diaphragm bubbling at his bunched, annoyed facial features, but she held it back. She didn't want to laugh.

"And then you cursed..." she trailed off, looking at the tensed muscles of his shoulder blades hidden by the shadow of wings.

"Not allowed," he answered. "But I've always been a rule breaker."

She tilted her head in amusement, his animated features making her feel welcome. But something was bugging her, scratching at her hollow, void-of-vessel skin. She couldn't stop swallowing.

She turned her head, taking in everything for the fourth time. Then she stood up, taking her time, brushing off the dirt that wasn't there.

She took a breath and said, "So, I'm...dead?"

Zack stopped. This is why he hated whenever he was called for this job. He turned his whole body to face her, swallowing as he took in the side profile and the way her ebony hair clashed with the pale peach tone of her skin. And how her pale peach skin clashed with the blinding purity of her wings.

She was looking down at the soft, spongy dirt, and all she could think of was Cloud.

_Cloud_.

He walked in front of her and placed his hands on her shoulders. She stared at his boots.

"Yeah..._we're _dead. You're not alone in this." He nudged her shoulder lightly, comfortingly. "And don't look like it's the end of the world—," he bit his lip. _This _was why he was a message deliverer. "...Because it's not. It's actually really nice here."

She was still staring at his boots when a distinct _plunk_ resounded through the atmosphere. There was a shiny pearl of liquid tarnishing the black. She looked up to his face, angry and desolate, wanting nothing more than to go back home.

"I want to go home." She kept her voice determined, but the tremor was still there. His look was kind and gentle, and she didn't like it.

"I'm afraid I can't do that."

Her eyes were steely. "You let him come back last time! Why not me?" She leaned her face closer, teeth bared. "Why not _me?"_

His grip was firm. "It's your time."

Her eyebrows were fluttering and her lip was trembling when she broke. She let herself rest in his cocoon, feeling shelter from everything with his wings hovering close by. She didn't know if hers were still attached to her back, and she didn't care to.

"Cloud's a big boy."

Bulbous tears kept rolling off. They could drown small cities, she was sure.

"He'll be okay."

The puddle was growing into a pond.

"_You'll_ be okay."

She highly doubted it.

"I'll be here for you."

She wondered why he felt so obligated.

-

"How?" They walked into the outskirts of the city, bleak buildings coming into view.

He swung his arms around with reckless intensity, quirking his lips to the side. He 'tsk'ed. "It's against the code to tell the first day."

She cut her eyes at him, the glare being softened by red rims. "Can't you at least give me that?"

He let himself smile sheepishly, apologetic. "Trust me, I really wish I could." He rubbed the back of his neck, "But there have been some incidents in the past where we let certain individuals know what happened to them. And well..."

A black coated figure rushed past them, laughing with a deranged edge. His wings were slim but toned-looking, a few areas singed while snowcone cherry red lines decorated an intriguing design against the black. It was a shocking comparison to the outrageous spikes on his head.

"Is that..._Reno?" _Tifa gasped, hands to her mouth as he floated away with what looked like a...bra.

Zack chuckled, shaking his head. "Nah, that's Axel. But I've heard about him being a distant cousin, like second or third, twice removed." He shrugged, carefree smile latched on and looked over at Tifa's paled face. "He's one of those guys I told you about. Now he blabs on and on about 'Nobodies' and 'Heartless' and some dude named Rox...uh. Rox-something." He looked up, as if thinking.

He shook his head, giving up, and turned to face her. The change of his demeanor could be considered borderline bipolar. "I advise you to stay as far away from him as possible."

Tifa gave him a dumbfounded look, not sure if taking him seriously would be wise. "Why, exactly?"

Zack scoffed, "Weren't you listening to what I just told you? The guy's insane!"

"AXELLLL!!" Their heads snapped to the direction of the voice, watching a girl with a pinker shade of red whizzing by. Her wings were a pale blue, but Tifa could have sworn they were sizzling with smoke. "GIVE ME MY BRA BACK, OR I SWEAR I WILL KILL YOU!"

"I'm already dead, princess."

"OH, YOU HAVEN'T SEEN DEAD YET, BAS—JERKFACE."

The maniacal redhead turned and started flying backwards. "Ooh, little miss Kairi's gettin' pretty fiesty," he sang along, brandishing the polka-dotted bra.

Tifa watched dumbstruck with a tangled snort in her throat, while Zack just laughed. Without turning around, the girl growled, "Shut your face, Zack! I don't need this from you right now!"

Zack was grinning like a maniac. Tifa vaguely thought that her vision of death did not contain redheads flying with intimate undergarmets. He turned back to her, his pearly whites cutting up her thoughts.

"Now do you understand?" He pointed in the direction of the two flying hazards, grin never faltering.

"Yes?" she squeaked. Actually, no. She was still quite floored by the Reno-looking bra man.

"Good." He ignored the question that was punctuated and swerved her into another direction. "Now's about the time I show you your house."

-

Tifa 'ahem'ed, breaking the silence. Zack looked at her, expectant. She messed with the end of her shirt.

"So, um," she bit the inside of her cheek.

"Yes?" Zack drew out the 'e'.

"Why isn't Aerith with us?" The question felt strange sliding out of her cheeks—uncomfortable to say, but she waited with curiosity. She felt the sudden, desperate need to see her again.

Zack's eye twitched, and something changed. "Well, she's kind of been taking care of Sephiroth." It was so dry, it should have cracked.

Tifa let her eyes widen, and her lips parted ever so slightly, but not because Aerith was in close quarters with her killer. "Sephiroth is...here?"

He smirked, tilting his head. "Surprised?"

"Well, I—" Tifa shook her head, opposing to lie. Her conscience felt like it would put a choke hold on her if she did. "Yeah. I know I shouldn't be, but it's hard to see Sephiroth residing...here."

He smiled in understanding. "I figured the big man wouldn't want to put him with all of us sane ones." They turned into what looked like a prestigous neighborhood. People—no, angels—flew by, giving warm greetings and hello's, all seeming to know her name.

"You can call this place heaven, you know," he said. "Or the Lifestream, even though that's only used to let humans relax about the concept. Or there's always Hironobu's Creation."

Tifa quirked her eyebrow. "Hironobu's Creation?"

"Yeah," Zack said, waving his hand. "He had the original idea of all of us from the start. He's got a sweet spot for me,_ usually_," he grimaced. "And probably for you too, considering..." he let his hand drop to his side while Tifa looked on, perplexed.

"Considering...?"

Zack gave her a funny look. "I'm pretty sure you know you're gorgeous." Not to mention what she was endowed with.

If Tifa could have blushed, she would have. She gave him a small smile.

"Thanks."

Zack shrugged it off. "Don't mention it."

-

"Ah, here we are." He stepped in front of a door attached to nothing but the scenery all around them. Including houses, trees, mailboxes...

"I think there's something missing," Tifa walked up and touched the door, looking at him and waiting for the explanation.

He laughed. "Just open the door. You'll see for yourself."

Taking in his knowing smile, she braced herself. Turning the knob, she pushed the door open cautiously, deliberately.

She almost tripped on her feet. Wood covered what should have been grass, dark with a strawberry hue that she loved. There was an entryway, a comfortably sized living room with a tan couch, a love seat, a chair. She looked over to the wall to see a t.v. taking up residence. She almost laughed.

There was a hallway on the right side, which she assumed led to her bedroom and bathroom. Unless she wouldn't need those things. She wasn't sure yet.

"You've got nice taste." Zack walked in, looking up at the concave ceiling, the lights, how elegant her vision of a dream house was. "Real homey. I like it."

He watched her touch the textured walls, the lamp on the side table, and the intricate windows. She was awed, fascination overriding.

"It's...it's..."

She turned her head over her shoulder, the light from the window creating her into a silhouette. Her wings lit up parts of her shoulder, her side, and her legs. But what struck him was how her eyes looked, drowning in a sheen mixed with a touch of empty resolution and the grace of someone who had been through three lifetimes in twenty-seven years.

He felt a kind of warmth trickle down his throat—just like hot chocolate on a snowy day.

Nodding, he gave her his warmest smile he reserved for times like these. It was time to go, anyway. "I'll be around."

He didn't wave, but merely pushed himself off the doorjamb.

She was left inside, staring at his back and at the wings she hadn't realized he had sprouted throughout the time she took in her house.

And she knew that she'd be seeing him. A _lot. _Maybe even more than she should.

She didn't know what happened, whether her wings took her from their own accord, or whether she ran as fast as she could.

She touched an ebony speckle on his wing—which, now that she looked closer, reminded her of a dalmation—and watched him stiffen into a board. "Tifa, I said—"

But she cut him off by walking in front of him. She brought him down into a tight hug, the sheen drowning her eyes now overflowing.

"I never said thank you," she sounded like a pregnant frog, but she didn't care.

He pushed her back a little, letting himself look down at her. "And you'll never have to." He leaned down, brushing his lips to the gentle supporting bone on her cheek.

He stepped away, and let himself grin with mild flirtation. She was looking at him, more still than could be considered healthy. He let his head roll back into the direction of her new, patented house.

"Go on, rest up. Gain some energy back. Because tomorrow..." he looked straight into her eyes, the fermented, cerulean blue making her velvety, thick vermillion everything _but_ sober.

"I'll teach you how to fly."

--

a/n: This was funn. ^^; I kind of like it; the idea, not the way it was written. All I see are adverbs. And amateur-esque things. Ahaha.  
inspired by: Valentine'sNinja. Go read her stuff!  
ZackTifa + AerithSeph is too awesome. (but what'll happen when Cloud gets there, I don't know. I kind of like the idea of a threesome, yes? Any takers?)  
cameo appearances from Axel and Kairi because they make me el oh el.  
reviews are amazing and feed my craving for love~constructive criticism is good for the soul, too.


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